Hybrid
by The Acid Rabbit
Summary: An innocent girl taken hostage by the Predators, then impregnated. What is provoking the Predator attacks? How are the Predator's slipping past defenses? Chapter 7 is up! READ & REVIEW!
1. Enter the Xenomorphs

Okay, this is my first Alien/Predator fic. I got the idea for this fic from another story about a girl that befriended a Predator. Then this idea formed in my head. Now, the first chapter is mainly informative. It tells about the colonies on LV-1201 and the Xenomorphs and what not, but in chapter 2 it gets good. I'm writing chap. 1 in a military log format. The rest won't be like that. Anyway, if you're going to read this, please review. It will help me improve my writing in the future.  
  
Hybrid  
  
~1~  
Enter the Xenomorphs  
  
July 21st, 2230  
  
21:57  
  
Military Analysis  
  
The bland gray buildings of colony 67 were littered about, spread over a 200-yard radius. A sixteen foot fence encompassed the perimeter, a barbed- wire fence spread over the top to create a roof. Sentry guns were also placed along the outside perimeter to shoot down potential threats. They were disabled whenever a vehicle drew near to the city.  
  
Colony 67 had been thriving for five years. The initial population of 600 people had soared to 1,400. After three years, the perimeter of the colony was expanded to make room for the growing population.  
  
Located right in the center of the colony was a crystal clear lake, fed by a small stream and half a dozen springs. This lake quenched the thirst of colony 67 as well as colonies 68, 69, and 71. Certain trees inhabiting the area had been found to produce an edible fruit, something like a cross between a pineapple and a kiwi. It had a thin brown skin like a kiwi, but it had large greens at the top, like a pineapple. Strangely, it tasted like neither. The taste was something special, a sort of blend of vanilla and mango. The colonists enjoyed it tremendously.  
  
The colonists lived simple lives on LV-1201. They farmed the land, planting the same types of crops harvested on earth. Strangely enough, the soil on LV-1201 was very similar to that on earth, similar enough for the foods to grow. And so, the colonists brought many plants to LV-1201. They weren't allowed to bring bananas, however, because they strangely enraged the Xenomorphs. This decision was made after the downfall of colony 17.  
  
Extensive research and examination of planet LV-1201 had been done, and scientists had discovered that, though most of planet LV-1201 was land, it still contained a hydrosphere beneath it. The hydrosphere only broke through in a few places, just enough to separate the land into three continents.  
  
One continent was uninhabitable, covered in a toxic chemical that infested the soil, so that the very ground beneath you would burn the flesh from your bones. The second was habitable, but not colonized due to the enormous population of Predator clans inhabiting it. So, the Weyland Yutani Corporation chose the last continent, calling it Alpha continent.  
  
Alpha continent was only a few thousand miles in diameter, so colonies were fairly close together. Though an average person could run to the next colony in a matter of hours, the danger of Predators was still great. Instead of traveling on land, 10x10 concrete tunnels were built underground, connecting each colony into a gigantic web. These tunnels were monitored tremendously, with synthetics roaming the halls and cameras recording every inch of the tunnels.  
  
Though people traveled to other colonies through underground tunnels, there were roads on LV-1201. They were crude things, just dirt paths through the wilderness. They were only used by military vehicles that brought extra military supplies to the colonies for defense. Weapons and ammo were always needed.  
  
Though the citizens of the colonies of LV-1201 were peaceful, each colony had a small military force to protect it. Every few weeks a Predator clan would assault a colony in a failed attempt to catch prey. Though the Predators were highly advanced and extremely hardy, they were no match for the sentry guns.  
  
Whenever a sentry gun detected a movement, it sent an electronic impulse to the sirens in the watch tower, a large square shaped tower for snipers to watch the perimeters of the colonies. The sirens signaled for all citizens to bolt their doors and windows and go down into the concrete tunnels. Every house had a small passageway leading underground into the tunnels. They converged at one of several reinforced chambers. All military personnel were to report to their assigned station.  
  
Even if a Predator did make it past the sentry guns, they were no threat to the colony. Upon the activation of the warning sirens, the entire perimeter fence, including the roof, was charged with three thousand volts of electricity traveling at twenty amps. No Predator has ever touched the fence and been recognizable afterwards.  
  
The Predators were a minor inconvenience for colony 67. Though some citizens were always paranoid about one infiltrating the perimeter, they really didn't give it much thought. They never thought about the Xenomorphs breeching their defenses. Most citizens didn't even know what a Xenomorph was. The military wasn't worried about Xenomorph breeches either. They knew more about the Xenomorphs than they did the Predators.  
  
The Xenomorphs are more commonly referred to as aliens. The first form of Xenomorph is the "Facehugger." The Facehugger is a small whitish creature with eight legs and a swishing tail. They are born from eggs. The Facehugger is extremely shy; they avoid contact at all costs. Their instinct is to find an isolated host and implant their egg. To implant their egg, they attach to the victims face and wrap their tail around the neck, piercing the windpipe with the tail tip. After the Facehugger has implanted the host with an egg, the Facehugger falls off and quickly dies.  
  
The next form of Xenomorph is the "Chestburster." The Chestburster eats its way out of the chest cavity into which the Facehugger laid it. The host usually dies in this process. The Chestburster is small and very snakelike. As with the Facehugger, the Chestburster has a drive to avoid detection. Once the Chestburster is free, it first searches for food. After having eaten, it molts into a mature Xenomorph.  
  
There are four types of mature Xenomorphs: Drone, Runner, Predalien, and Praetorian.  
  
The most common form is a "Drone." The Drone's head extends backwards above its back. Their claws and teeth are razor sharp, and their tails are used to stun prey. Inside the mouth of every Drone is a small growth called a "head-snatcher." The "head-snatcher" is a small extendable growth with teeth on the end of it that the Drone uses to take the heads off of their prey. Drones tend to prefer to run on all four legs, but attack on two. This enables them to use both claws to attack their victim.  
  
The weakest form of mature Xenomorph is called a "Runner." Runners are smaller and lighter colored than the Drone; they have the same anatomy as Drones. Runners prefer to attack while on all fours, unlike the Drone.  
  
The next form of Xenomorph is the "Predalien." The Predalien is the strangest looking form of Xenomorph. The Predalien resembles a Predator more than a Xenomorph due to the fact that it was implanted in a Predator instead of a human. The Predalien lacks the "head-snatcher" that the other forms have, but it is faster and stronger than other forms.  
  
The biggest and strongest form of Xenomorph is the "Praetorian." The Praetorian is the warrior of the caste. Its skin is extremely hard, and can deflect most bullets. Armor piercing rounds will still penetrate the Praetorian, but its stamina is incredible. Not much is know about the Praetorian, except that it has the lowest population among Xenomorphs.  
  
All Xenomorphs can see in the dark. Most can walk on walls, with the exception of the Chestburster and Praetorian. There are rumors of other forms of Xenomorphs, even a Queen, but none of these have been confirmed.  
  
The alien's lair is called the hive. They are extremely protective of it, and are constantly in search of victims to increase their population, so that they can extend the hive. 30% of Alpha continent is overrun by the hive, but the hive tends to be built underground.  
  
Before the Hybrid incident, the colonists of LV-1201 didn't fear Xenomorphs or Predators. Afterwards, most evacuated the planet. It began on July 16th, 2230 at 22:34. The day was proceeding like any other. Then the Xenomorphs came. They breached corridor 23, 27, 32, and 49 under colony 67. The attack seemed planned. Thousands of Xenomorphs poured out of the breaches. The people evacuated into the lockdown chambers, but the aliens swept through the steel doors like they were plastic.  
  
The Xenomorphs were on the assault, led by Praetorians and Predaliens. They swept through the tunnels, slaughtering the colonists. Afterwards, they swept through the military ranks, annihilating any resistance. Within an hour, colony 67 was no more. 


	2. The Predator's Hostage

Okay, here goes chapter 2...Note that Nytasha is pronounced Natasha. Also, this is set in the future, so I figured they'd eventually change the world to be similar to ours.  
  
~2~  
The Predator's Hostage  
  
A cool wind blew through the trees, rustling the browning leaves. Winter was approaching, yet Nytasha enjoyed it far more than the summer months. Unlike earth, LV-1201 was blazing in summertime and a pleasant 65- 70 degrees in the winter.  
  
Nytasha was dozing under a large Kizek tree, one of the few trees native to LV-1201. Its leaves were garnet colored, soon to become sapphire and fall to the ground. She enjoyed sitting underneath this tree immensely. It eased her body and soul, created a sense of peace in the chaotic life she lived on LV-1201.  
  
Nytasha was 16. She had grown up an orphan, raised by the people of colony 64. She never knew her parents. Growing up as an orphan had been hard for her. She'd never really felt loved by any of the townsfolk; she'd been teased about being an orphan.  
  
When younger, the other children had always played little fantasy games about love and marriage, but Nytasha had never been allowed to take part. She wasn't a pretty child, to say the least. Yet, when she hit her growth spurt, her beauty had flourished. The young boys whom had teased her as children were now drooling over her. The other girls were jealous of her, for she was far prettier than any other girl in the colony.  
  
Each boy would compete for her attention, wrestling one another to the ground to prove their strength, or besting one another in mock combat. Afterwards, each would seek approval from her. She found this very entertaining. Being a cunning, but vengeful girl, she led each one on, pretending to fancy them over the others. Once she had a boy brainwashed, she let him loose to boast about his success with her. Then, once the other boys got wind and flocked to her to hear first hand, she would deny having any interest in the boy.  
  
The public humiliation that came from being rejected was enough to keep boys away. Most were humiliated once, some even more. But they grew wise after a while. Then she lost most of the attention that came with her revenge. She still caught boys staring at her from time to time, and it pleased her within.  
  
Yet, her life was incomplete. She had a longing to explore the planet of LV-1201. She had attempted to sneak out of the colony a few times, but was caught each time. It was during one attempt that she met Jeddeck Knighting. He was a strong man, serving in the military.  
  
The two had become good friends. Jeddeck was 19. He was serving in the military to pay for his college education. He wanted to become a chef. Over the course of a few months, the two became almost inseparable. Then, while having brunch at a local diner, Jeddeck confessed his true feelings for Nytasha. She had been so shocked she nearly choked. The two were set to be wed in a month. Then, Jeddeck got called away on duty. Nytasha was nearly heartbroken, but she held up.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The cold air blew through Nytasha's long black hair as she walked down the dirt path that would soon be a concrete sidewalk. She looked around her, looked at the city that was being built from colony 64. Office buildings, hospitals, police stations, and the most recent building to be constructed was the GigaMall. Colony 64 was the guinea pig. They were the first ones to be transformed into a full-scale city.  
  
After the meteor struck, the denizens of earth watched in horror as the dust cloud rose into the air, encircling the entire earth. It was in that time that the earth was finally united, as one. Unknown to the citizens of earth, but several nations had begun searches throughout the galaxy years before, searching for planets that were inhabitable. Russia was the first to find anything, coming across planet LV-1201, named for the sector of the galaxy it was found in.  
  
Nytasha followed the path to the mall, walked through the automatic doors. The conditioned air swirled around her, seeking to escape the chilled mall. Once the onslaught of rushing air was past her, she was overwhelmed by a multitude of smells and sounds. She could taste the scent of bread and pizza on the air; hear music bellowing from speakers mounted high on the ceiling. People walked everywhere, carrying bags of merchandise.  
  
Making her way over to a little Italian restaurant named Kosta's, she walked behind the counter and put on an apron. She walked over to the counter and took a large hunk of dough from a pile. Without even looking at the other young man working there, she began to toss the dough in the air, spinning it so it fanned out.  
  
The young man, setting down his wide piece of dough, walked over to the cash register to tend to a customer. Letting her dough fall onto flour covered board, Nytasha proceeded to cover it with sauce, cheese, and an assortment of toppings.  
  
Then the ground began to shake. It started as a low rumble, perhaps something caused by the construction going on in the city. Then it began to grow. Merchandise began to fall to the floors of stores; drinks began to spill off tables in the food court. Then it grew dangerous. The entire building began to violently shake, items and other objects falling everywhere. The windows began to crack in their frames.  
  
The windows began to burst, sending shards of glass flying everywhere. People began screaming, whether just because of panic, or because they were hit with flying glass or some other object, one couldn't tell. The support beams began to shake; the plaster walls began to flake away.  
  
Nytasha began running from the pizza shop, her arms overhead to protect herself from falling debris. Hearing a thunderous crash behind her, she turned to see the roof caving in on the other side of the mall, causing a domino effect. The building was falling down around her. Just as she neared the door, she tripped over the dead body of an old woman. Struggling to get back up in her panic, she hadn't noticed the chunk of roofing that was falling down atop her.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The ground outside the GigaMall was thundering. Buildings were falling down all over the city, giant plumes of smoke rising into the air. The smoke and dust blocked out the sun, casting an eerie darkness over the entire city. All the hard work of the colonists came crashing down around them in a giant puff of smoke and dust.  
  
Jeddeck saw the GigaMall collapsing, knowing that Nytasha was inside. Blindly, he ran towards the mall, groping his way through the dust and smoke. The filthy air burned his lungs, the dirt stinging his eyes. Tears of sorrow poured from his burning eyes. Knowing he couldn't do anything, he turned back, heading out of the dust cloud.  
  
As he exited the cloud of dust minutes later, he scanned the rest of the city. Most of the buildings were already down, reduced to rubble and dust. The dust had risen high into the sky, fanning out. Light was slowly returning to colony 64. That's when Jeddeck noticed the Predators.  
  
Roaming around the city in pairs of two or three, they ruthlessly slaughtered innocent people. Women, children, seniors; the Predators were delighted by their helpless prey. The collapse of the city was obviously their doing. Their minds worked in ways humans couldn't understand. Very little was known about their strange ways.  
  
Predators were known to hunt Xenomorphs, seeing them as worthy adversaries, but they felt humans were inferior. Whenever a Predator killed a Xenomorph, it decapitated its prey and took the head as a trophy. Predators were known to do this with humans, but only the young and inexperienced Predators hunted humans.  
  
That was why this attack seemed so strange. No other colony had every experienced a full attack by more than one clan of Predators. Every now and then a colony would dispatch a clan of younger ones, but never had they seen older Predators attack.  
  
One could tell a Predators' 'age', or hunting experience, by counting the 'rings' on its fingers. Every time a Predator made a kill, it would remove a joint from its prey's hand and wear it like a ring. The Predators running around colony 64 had white fingers, covered with rings.  
  
Then Jeddeck heard the crunching of debris. Whipping out his pistol, he whirled around, scanning around for a threat. Lowering his scanner over his right eye, he searched around for the Predator. Turning to the left, he found the Predator. Staring into his eyes, it glared at him from a foot away. Jeddeck never saw the blade talons coming at him from behind, never felt as they shattered the back of his skull, skewering his brain and piercing his medulla.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Nytasha's scream pierced the air as the chunk of concrete shattered her leg. Pain shot through entire body as she struggled to move the concrete. Blood streamed from multiple gashes up and down her leg. Turning, she put her hands on the floor to try pulling her leg out from under the concrete. Immediately, she wished she hadn't. The glass littering the floor cut into her hands, blood flowing freely from the wounds.  
  
With strength from someplace unknown, Nytasha pulled her leg out from under the concrete and began to hobble towards the exit. Looking up, she saw the roof falling down atop her. Screaming out in terror, she felt a strong arm grasp her wrist and pull her out of the building. Though she could see no one pulling her, she was grateful for the help.  
  
Then the dust cloud washed over her, burning her throat and lungs, searing her eyes. She covered her mouth with her shirt, hoping to keep out the dust. After several agonizing minutes, the dust began to settle, no longer burning her eyes. Peering through the darkness, she saw a large figure walking towards her.  
  
At 6' 9", the being stood extremely tall. It was very well built, with cannons for arms. Kneeling down, the being took her chin in its hand, staring at the young girl lying on the debris-riddled ground.  
  
That was when she noticed the bones. Covering every finger were small white bones, worn as rings. Though they were very similar, they were not from a human. Looking up at her benefactor, she stared into the Predator's eyes. His eyes were glossy looking, filled with mystery and compassion. This Predator was wise beyond belief.  
  
Struggling, Nytasha began to stand. The Predator watched her in disbelief, amazed that the woman could still stand. With a burst of compassion, the Predator held out a hand, helping Nytasha to her feet. As she struggled to her feet, she kept her eyes on the Predator, not willing to risk turning her back.  
  
Staring into the Predator's eyes, or what one could assume were eyes hidden behind their mask, Nytasha saw a compassion that she never thought possible fromShe stared at the creature as she rose, unsure of what to do. What would cause a Predator to act to kindly? Was this a Predator? Or was it some kind hybrid being? Questions boggled Nytasha's mind. Then the eyes hardened, the compassion replaced by stone hard hatred and loathing  
  
The Predator swung his arm up, a small gun in his hand. He placed the gun to Nytasha's throat and pulled the trigger, a small needle shooting into her neck. The world seemed to dim, the dusty sky turning black. Nytasha's eyes drooped as her body fell limp and numb. The Predator caught her in its arms, a throaty chuckle emitting from beneath its mask. 


	3. Impregnation

A/N: Alright, this is the revised version of this chapter. I didn't change that much, because the story's not really about Nytasha....it's about her daughter. I sat down to revise this, and got thinking about that. Anyway, I'm still working on the fourth chapter. Don't worry; the wait will be worth it. Also, note that the bars across the story marks a change. Damn asteriks get taken out...  
  
3  
Impregnation  
  
The sky was dark, a cool wind blew overhead. Clouds bounced on the horizon; stars dotted the inky night sky. Owls hooted from hollow trees, crickets chirping in the brush. Colony 59 was quiet, the colonists asleep in their quarters. The sound of stream water trickling over a small falls could be heard throughout the small colony, lulling the entire village to sleep.  
  
In a large gray building on the edge of the colony a secret meeting was held. Military tacticians, strategists, engineers and scientists had come together to put a stop to the Predator threat. The people of LV-1201 wouldn't be safe until the Predators were destroyed.  
  
"We all agree that the Predator threat must be dealt with, but there are other ways of handling the situation! We can't destroy them! Think of the technology they possess. If we could find a way to communicate with them, we may be able to stop the attacks on colonies," a scientist fumed.  
  
"We all share your concern Dr. Garb, but we've been doing all the research we can afford. Tests cost money, money we don't have. The only way we can end the threat is to exterminate them," said a general. Turning, he addressed the rest of the room. "Now, gentlemen, we all agree that the Predators must be exterminated. The problem lies herein. We don't know where the Predators are. In the past, they've always been the ones to seek us out. Now it's our turn to seek them out. Sgt. Peltew, what are we looking at?"  
  
A young man stood up, clad in a blue Marines uniform with several medals. He was young, but ingenious. "General Hamland, sir, recent studies have shone that the Predators attack in family groups known as clans. Predators are fiercely loyal and very prideful. This is our key to defeating them. I propose we send out a couple of hostage Xenomorphs as bait. After implanting a tracking chip in the Xenomorphs skull, we can track the Predators as they take the Xenomorph skull for a trophy, leading us back to wherever it is they call home."  
  
Several men exchanged glances, obviously swayed by the plan. Many were nodding and smiling, figured the plan would work. Others had disbelieving looks on their faces, unsure of the Predators intelligence.  
  
"Very well... what if the Predators realize it's a trap?" General Hamland asked. A tall man next to Sgt. Peltew stood up. He had dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. He had obviously been very overworked as of late.  
  
"Sir, the 3rd Infantry Division has enough fire power to make a hundred mile crater. I wouldn't be too concerned about them turning on us if I were you, Sir!" he said, saluting the general. After taking a seat, the general sat in silence for a moment.  
  
"Alright boys, let's go to work." The general said after a moment. With that, the group got up and left the room.

* * *

Nytasha was dazed, unaware of her surroundings. She felt the chains on her wrists and ankles, the cold metal table beneath her. The air was surprisingly cold, and her skin was covered in a cold sweat. She could hear strange clicks and growls around her, echoing off the walls. Her vision was a blur, so she couldn't make out any shapes, but she knew there were several creatures around her.  
  
She felt strange wires fastened to her head, and strange metal chips digging into the skin down her sides. She felt strong, monstrous hands grasp her ankles and pull her legs spread eagle. Tears leaked from her eyes, running down her chest. She felt strange clawed fingers probing her, spreading her apart. She began to whimper as she felt a slimy worm-like creature slither inside of her. She felt a strange metal tube placed in her mouth, releasing some sort of liquid, and then everything went black.  
  
Nytasha awoke in a dark room, a bright white light shinning down upon her. The light hurt her eyes. She knew Death approached, and tears began to form at her eyes. She could hear strange sounds within the darkness, but couldn't make out any thing. The white light shining on her overwhelmed her pupils, forced her to squint. She was grateful when the light was dimmed, yet horrified at the same time.  
  
When she was able to see, she found herself in a small metal chamber. Various machines were resting next to or mounted on the walls. No windows caused the chamber to be dark. She saw various Predators standing around her, staring at her with utter fascination. A loud shriek from a large menacing Predator sent the others scurrying for cover. The shriek was very high pitched, ringing in Nytasha's ears for seconds afterwards. The fact that it bounced off the metal walls didn't help any.  
  
The Predator bent over her, examining her with keen intellect. It turned her head to the side, examining her neck. Though the creature had its mask on, Nytasha could see its menacing eyes beneath. They seemed cold, piercing through her. She shuddered, thinking what this creature could do to her.  
  
The Predator placed a hand on her neck, squeezing gently. The Predator didn't hurt her, but Nytasha was scared either way. The Predator's surprisingly warm hand moved down her body, sliding over her firm breasts, stopping at her abdomen. The creature seemed to take great interest in her belly button, seemed amazed at such a thing. Poking a finger in, the creature caused Nytasha to laugh, startling it immensely.  
  
After regaining its courage, the creature bent, staring straight into Nytasha's eyes. Her laughter turned to a whimper as her fear washed over her. Knowing the creature's intentions, it couldn't be good. She though it would kill then and there, yet, in its eyes she detected a greater intelligence. This Predator revealed something no human ever thought possible.  
  
"You are strong and well built. You will serve us well," the creature said in a husky demonic voice, revealing its ability to speak. The being began to undo the metal straps around her limbs. "Arise, and we shall speak of this matter as civilized beings."  
  
Nytasha was utterly amazed at the Predator's ability to speak, let alone speak fluently. She was speechless, but rose at its command. She felt embarrassed to be naked, felt herself blushing deep crimson. The creature ignored the change in her color, obviously not caring whether she wore clothes or not. Nytasha saw her clothes lying on a small table to her left and grabbed them.  
  
Nytasha quickly dressed, then faced the Predator. It was immensely large, standing at least two heads higher than her. The Predator moved towards her, reaching out a hand. Afraid it might do something dangerous if she moved quickly, she held still. Surprisingly, the creature took a strand of her hair in its hand, rubbing it between its thumb and forefinger.  
  
"What is this web sprouting from your scalp?" the creature asked, having obviously never seen it before. Nytasha smiled at this, discovering this creature to be only partially educated in the ways of humans.  
  
"It's called hair. All humans have it. Some loose it when they grow older, but most people keep some until they die." She said, her voice soft, alluring. The creature looked at her, understanding what she said. Nytasha knew the Predator would leech any and all information he could from her, but she was determined to get something from him in return.  
  
"Tell me, how did you learned to speak English?" she asked softly, hoping to get an answer. The creature answered without hesitation, as if eager to unburden some of its knowledge.  
  
"I am part of an elite team of scientists. We first began making voyages to the planet you call earth decades ago centuries ago, studying your kind since you were fighting each other over the teachings of a book. We needed to learn your language to study your habits. There are twelve members of the Hen'Tymin or 'Clan of Intelligence' as it would translate. Each has memorized each of your languages. Your race has come far since then, yet you still hold onto the past. Even now, when your planet is trapped and dying, your people are divided and competing. The Ta'Jente or 'Predators' as you call us, are superior to your people in every way". The Predator said.  
  
So, these creatures truly are civilized, Nytasha thought. They been studying us since medieval times....but how have we not noticed them? And what do they want with me? Do they possibly think I am a scientist, hoping to study me? Or do they merely wish to take slaves? Questions wracked Nytasha's brain till it hurt.  
  
"Why have you brought me here? What do you want with me?" she asked. The Predator laughed in its primal growling way.  
  
"Ah, yes. Your purpose. You are special. Your build is perfect for breeding. Few humans have bodies that would be capable of carrying a Ta'Jenten child. Thus, you have been chosen to bear the hybrid, the first of a new race of Ta'Jente." The creature said, amused at the horror displayed in Nytasha's face.  
  
The news hit Nytasha like a punch to the gut, her breath literally knocked from her. For what seemed like an eternity, she tried to regain her breath, to comprehend what had happened to her. She hadn't known the evil these creatures were capable of, had hoped they contained some small strand of light. Now she saw their darkness. It wore it around them like a cloak, black through and through. Staring the Predator in the eye, her face hardened. She feinted anger in hopes that that the Predators would deem her unfit to carry their child.  
  
"I won't do it. You can't make me. No, I won't be your guinea pig!!" she shouted. In a desperate attempt to escape, she knocked over the small metal table to her right and bolted for the door. The Predator grabbed her wrist with lightning speed. He released a throaty growl and stared at her.  
  
"It's too late. You have already been impregnated with a Ta'Jenten seed. Within three weeks the child will be ready for birth." The Predator said.  
  
Nytasha sank to the floor, her face in her hands, sobbing quietly. The Predator stood staring down at her, gloating over her reaction.  
  
"Why? Why do you want to create a hybrid species?" Nytasha asked. The Predator was silent for a moment, thinking about the answer.  
  
"The Xenomorphs have become inactive. They are our source of food. Without them, we will die. We create a new hybrid species in hopes that they will be able to mimic your society, be able to survive without hunting the Xenomorphs," It said.  
  
Nytasha looked up at the Predator, her eyes wet with tears. It stood unmoving, compassionless. It stared at her, features as hard as stone. She felt terrified, chilled to the bone. She had to wonder how they impregnated her. Did they put it inside me with a tool, through my stomach maybe? Or did they do it the way humans do...? The thought disgusted and horrified her. She didn't want to think about it.  
  
Nytasha climbed to her feet once again, bound and determined to get out of this alive. Staring at the Predator scared her more than ever, yet she stood strong. She stared the Predator in the eye, glaring back with a look of determination.  
  
"How did you impregnate me?" she asked, her voice cracking.  
  
"In the same manner as you would normally be. We released several Ta'Jenten eggs into your canal hours ago. They should have reached your fertile embryo already. Ta'Jenten grow quickly. You may find yourself experiencing nausea, convulsions, and severe headaches."  
  
The news was a great shock to Nytasha. She didn't want to be pregnant, didn't want to be alive. She was only sixteen. She had her whole life ahead of her.  
  
"What's going to happen, now that I'm pregnant?" she asked. The Predator chuckled, in its own alien way.  
  
"You will live and nurture the child for approximately three weeks. After that, we will operate on you and remove the child. If you survive, you will be kept to bear more hybrids," the Predator said.  
  
Nytasha was decimated. If she survived? Was the removal really going to be that difficult? She prayed to god she died fast. Then the memory of what happened hit her, the attack on colony 64. Was it the Predator's that caused it?  
  
"Tell me, was it you who were behind the tremors at colony 64?" she asked shakily. The Predator guffawed at her question.  
  
"No, that was a natural tremor caused by the Xenomorphs tunneling underground. Still, we did capitalize on the situation, slaughtering your kind," it said, compassionless.  
  
Nytasha's thoughts stopped on one thing: Jeddeck. He was supposed to meet her that day, at noon, in the mall where she worked. She knew he was dead, and tears fell freely from her eyes. The thought of her boyfriend dead angered her. He wasn't supposed to be due back for two weeks, but he had some higher-ups get him off early for her. For her. She didn't deserve him.  
  
Looking up at the Predator, she saw the inhumanity there. She saw the cruel, compassionless monster. She knew what she had to do. She would never let the abomination growing within her see daylight.

* * *

The night was dark. Stars dotted the sky, silvery moonlight flooding the ground. A slight breeze blew through Colony 59, rustling the kizek trees. Inside of the gray concrete buildings, the inhabitants of the colony slept peacefully. Outside, a diabolical scheme to destroy the Predators for good was underway.  
  
At the perimeter fence, soldiers were stationed all around. Snipers were posted in towers, gunners stationed on the inside of the perimeter fence. A hundred yards out, two aliens were just waking. Alien immune systems were incredibly strong, but still susceptible to drugs they had never encountered. That was just what allowed these two to be captured for study.  
  
The aliens slowly came to, still under the influence of the drugs. A lookout stood atop a sniper tower, a pair of motion-sensing binoculars in hand. He scoured over the landscape, searching for any movement. After a few moments, he smiled, finding what he had hoped to find.  
  
"Crow's nest two, you see what I see?" he asked into a radio.  
  
"Affirmative. Target acquired. There are two of them, fast moving. They're closing in, thirty yards from tracer. Twenty yards," came a reply that ushered from every soldier's radio. Snipers cocked their guns, taking aim at the aliens. Gunners readied their pulse rifles, prepared to defend the colony if the need arose.  
  
"Five yards."  
  
General Hamland stood behind the two gunners at the main gate. He stared out at the aliens, night vision goggles over his eyes. A grin wrought itself upon his face as he watched the aliens come under assault by an invisible foe. In their dazed state, they never stood a chance. The general watched as the futilely batted out at the air, their bodies filling with wounds. Within half a minute they were dead.  
  
"Ready the troops. We move out in an hour," General Hamland said into his radio.


	4. Life and Death

A/N: Alright, I've finally written this chapter. Now you fans have something to read! I've gone through so many revisions, I lost track. For quite a while, I was just too uninterested in writing, but I've finally gotten back into the swing of things. I hope to have more chapters up soon. Enjoy!

Chapter 4

Life and Death

The hum of the army jeep was a constant drone, buzzing and ringing in the ears of Sgt. Peltew long after the squad had left them. The squad had left the jeeps at the entrance of a cave nearly two hundred miles from colony 59. His pulse rifle ready in his hands, Peltew lead squad one, consisting of thirteen armed soldiers, through the cave with squad two and three. In total, there were nearly fifty men. For the past hour they had been searching the caves, tracing and retracing their steps; the tracking signal had been lost. Determined to find the Predator nest, they searched on in the darkness, their shoulder lamps still shining brightly.

"Sgt. Peltew, Sir, we've been searching for nearly an hour with no luck. Permission to turn back, Sir?"

"Negative, Corporal, we are going to find the nest." The Sgt. was annoyed by the men. It was extremely important that they find the Predators and he was sick of their whining.

"Yes Sir." The man didn't try to hide his disappointment as he returned to the search. There was no sign of the Predators whatsoever and even the Sgt. was beginning to despair when a noise caught his attention. Signaling to his men to turn of their lamps and fall back into the shadows he readied his gun and waited.

The sound of labored breathing was the first thing that caught their ears. That was unusual; Predators had extremely high constitutions and rarely became fatigued. The footsteps heard were too light to be from anything over six feet tall, and they were uneven, as if the person was limping. Puzzled, the men held their ground and waited. As the creature in question drew closer, they were able to discern feminine sobs of distress and pain. Still they waited, and around the corner came a young woman hugging the wall and struggling hard to walk.

"Oh God, please get me out of here!" the girl choked out. "Get me out!" As she passed Sgt. Peltew, he reached out and snagged her, clamping his hand over her mouth so as to muffle her screams.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" he demanded, hissing into her ear. Muffled sounds came from her as she fought to speak, but was unable to do so properly due to the hand over her mouth. "Do you promise not to scream?" She nodded and the hand was removed.

"My name is Nytasha. I was captured and brought here by the Predators after they slaughtered the residents of colony 64." She informed him. "Sir I need-"

"Quiet!" The command was given and she had to follow it as the men strained to listen to make sure there was nothing coming. "Yes?"

"Kill me." Nytasha stated, grabbing onto the front of his clothes. "You have to kill me right now! If you don't the monster in me will be born! Just kill me!" She was desperate; it was easily conveyed through her tone.

"There will be time for hysterics later!" Sgt. Peltew hissed at her. Something was wrong. He could feel it. He just didn't know what. Then he noticed it; there was a slight disturbance in the air like something was moving. 'Shit' he thought. "THEY'RE HERE!" He shoved Nytasha behind him and fired where he suspected there to be a Predator. He knew it was too late but he still fought as hard as he could. Soon it was just him left, the rest of his men were dead and the girl behind him was begging him to kill her. Since there was no more reason to remain invisible the Predators appeared before him in full armor.

"You have something that is ours," the leader of the pack hissed at him stepping forward. "Give us the girl and your death will be painless."

"NO! Don't give me to them! I won't give this…this…thing in me life! I'd rather die! Just kill me!" Nytasha screamed.

"The lady doesn't seem to want to go with you." Peltew was stalling for time as his brain tried to process ideas for him to use to save both of their hides. All that was flashing through his brain was RUN, but there was no way they would be able to out-run the predators. Maybe he could cut a deal with them or something but that was a very, _very_ slim chance.

"The lady doesn't know what she wants," the lead Predator said.

"The hell I don't! I know exactly what I want! I want to die! You killed Jeddeck and now expect me to help you! No freaking way!" Nytasha screamed stepping out from behind the cover of Peltew. It was the wrong move. Instantly one of the Predators aimed and fired, hitting her with another dart filled with tranquilizer.

"Now let's see what we shall do with this brave one." The leader's voice held a sadistic humor to it as he eyed the still standing human in front of him. "Isn't that Praetorian we have still alive? The one we were going to experiment on?" He asked this even though he knew it to already be true.

"Yessir," one of the lower Predators replied.

"Perfect." Peltew was hit with a dart and then all went black.

Groaning loudly, the Sgt. came to, his body throbbing from the after effects of the drugs that had been introduced into his system. Sitting up, he looked around, taking in his surroundings. He was in an arena; the floor was dirt and the walls were stone. He appeared to be alone, but knowing that he was in the grasp of Predators he knew that he could never be quite sure. Silently, he checked himself to make sure that he was physically all right, even if he wasn't there wasn't much he could do. Slipping his hand into his boot, he searched for his small pistol that he kept concealed in there. It was gone; as was any other gun he had had in his possession and a whole bunch of other things. All he was left with him was his belt, which contained three grenades, a machete, his gas mask and a small knife. Everything else had been confiscated.

There was a sudden noise, and he looked up to see two Predators hauling in a metal cage with an enraged Praetorian in it. In that moment, Peltew understood what they were going to do. They were going to make him fight this creature to the death in an uneven match. There was no way he could win, but there was no way he was goin down without a fight. Steeling himself, Peltew drew his machete and waited for the cage to be opened. He didn't have to wait long. As soon as the Predators had left and sealed them in the door to the cage burst open, and the Praetorian came flying at Peltew.

His reflexes still off because of the drugs, Peltew tried to dodge but was too slow and claws sliced into his flesh. Biting down a cry of agony, he focused on what he had to do. He had to survive, and to do that he had to kill the alien. Hitting the ground he rolled and began gathering all the knowledge he knew about the thing he was fighting. Barely anything could penetrate the armor; even with a gun his task would be near impossible. Pausing a moment, he dropped his guard and nearly paid for it with is life. The alien landed a devastating blow to his chest that flung him across the arena into the wall. Air flew from him and he felt his bones snapping under the pressure.

Dragging himself up, Peltew tried to find a weakness. All armor had weak spots at the joints because if it didn't the being wouldn't be able to move. His grenades had a ten second wait before they blew…that would give him just enough time. Turning to face the oncoming foe, he waited until the last possible moment, and then slid between its legs and jumped on his back. Knowing that the thing would instantly try to rip him off he wrapped his legs around its waist and slammed the blade of his machete into the weak spot where the arm joined the torso. Screaming in pain the Praetorian dug its claws into his legs. Blocking out the pain Peltew twisted, hacked and sawed at the Praetorian's left limb. His blood was spraying everywhere, as was the alien's. Every drop of the acidic fluid that touched his skin burned horribly, melting and peeling his skin and muscles off his bones.

Finally the arm came off, and Peltew pulled out one of his grenades, yanked the pin and shoved it into the Praetorian's chest cavity through the hole left behind by the missing limb. It was sheer agony, even for the short time that his hand was in there. Getting his hand out Peltew flung himself away from the thing before it exploded, but he couldn't move fast enough and it blew, launching him into the opposite wall. As the darkness gathered at the edges of his vision, he looked down at his right hand and nearly vomited from what he saw. There was barely any muscle left on the hand; it was almost completely bone. Moaning he allowed himself to be swallowed up by what he was sure was death.

Hearing strange noises Peltew opened his eyes only to quickly snap them shut again; bright lights shined directly in his eyes. Every single part of his body ached, and he knew that he wasn't dead. The knowledge both comforted and devastated him. If he wasn't dead that meant the Predators still had him. Around him he could hear them talking in their own clicking, growling language before the light was gone and he opened his eyes just as he disappeared into a machine. A needle was shoved into him and then all went black.

"Sgt. Peltew, it is time to get up." A deep clicking voice stirred the man from the dark endless sleep that had claimed him for two weeks. His eyes fluttered open and he stared up at the Predator above him. "Welcome back."

"What's going on?" Peltew demanded groggily. "What's today? How long have I been under? What are you planning to do to me?"

"One thing at a time. Would you like to get dressed? I have noticed that your kind are not comfortable without their garments." The Predator helped him sit up and handed him a set of clothes.

"These aren't mine," Peltew looked at the clothes that had been handed to him. They were a simple pair of pants and a shirt. They were comfortable looking, but they weren't his.

"Your clothes were burned. They were in no condition to ever be worn again."

"Do you have a name?" Peltew questioned as he pulled on his shirt, "Or should I just call you monster?"

"You have an interesting sense of humor, I would have thought you to be cowed by your experience; but you are not. My name is Il'nervaka." The Predator never took his eyes off of Peltew. "It's been two weeks since you fought the Xenomorph, and while you were asleep we healed you. As you may have noticed your hand has been restored to its prior condition and your ribs are completely healed as well."

"Why did you heal me if you are just going to kill me?" Peltew was finished dressing and was watching Il'nervaka with wary eyes.

"We are not going to kill you. You have proven yourself a worthy warrior in our eyes." Il'nervaka turned away from him and picked up something that the human couldn't see. "Since you found our clan we had to move to a different location, we are still in the old city. I am supposed to make sure you are in good physical health and then release you." He faced Peltew and in his hands he held a combistick. "This is to show you are a warrior equal to the Ta'Jenten." Reaching out cautiously Peltew took the weapon but as soon as his fingers grasped it the Predator hit him hard in the back of the head throwing him back into the depths of unconsciousness.

Groaning softly the Sgt. slowly came to and sat up. His head hurt like there was no tomorrow and it took him a moment to zero in on his surroundings. He was leaning against the outside wall of a colony though which one he wasn't sure. Using the wall for support he hauled himself up and winced at the pain that attacked his skull. Propped up next to him was the combistick, scowling at it he seriously considered leaving it there but he knew that he would most likely need it. Grasping the weapon he used it to help him walk to the nearest entrance to the colony his head spinning the whole way.


	5. Death and Life

A/N: Alright, here is the much awaited chapter five. Now I am going to be shifting the story over from Nytasha to her daughter, the way I originally meant it to be. So, for all you people who truly love Nytasha, sorry, but it was inevitable. But hey, at least you'll get to hear more about her daughter in the next chapter.

**Chapter 5**

**Death and Life**

1 ½ weeks later

Ever since her almost successful escape attempt, the human girl the Predators had taken captive had been kept in a drug-induced haze. As a control measure, they fed her through a feeding tube and gave her extra nutrients and needed vitamins through an I.V. There were not taking any chances with the child growing within her. Every day they put her and the growing baby through multiple tests. Some were to help her and the child's health, and some were to further the unborn one's intelligence or abilities. The Predator scientists, after much deliberation they realized that the type of birthing that they had been considering, a cesarean type operation to remove the child, could result in later problems down the line with other pregnancies. After discussing it further, they decided that they would have Nytasha go through the labor like it was a normal human pregnancy. If anything went wrong, they would operate and remove the child before it could be endangered. Among other problems that they encountered were that her body rejected the being inside of her, and it was creating anti-bodies against it. After lots of testing, they came up with a drug that would totally suppress her immune system, wipe out the already made antibodies and let the child mature without being attacked.

Nytasha lay on the metal table, her pale blue eyes unfocused and glazed from the amount drugs invading her system. She had begun labor twelve hours ago; instantly they had drugged her, knowing that she wouldn't be able to handle the extended pain. Even if she wanted to, Nytasha couldn't have batted an eyelash. The contractions that caused her abdomen muscles to ripple and contort didn't faze her; she couldn't feel anything.

"She's fully dilated," one of the Predators told the others, and they nodded in agreement. Quickly and efficiently, Nytasha's feet were tied down to keep her legs in the right position for the birthing. Next, they tied straps to the legs of the table, and placed the loops in her hands; these would be used for her to strain against. With everything in place, one last needle was stuck into her arm (already covered in track marks and bruises from all the injections). Almost instantly, the serum that had been introduced to her bloodstream released her from the painless world she had been living in. A scream was ripped from her as she arched her back and tried to curl up.

"The child is coming whether you want it to or not," the head Predator told her very calmly as she fought the contractions.

"Oh God! Make it stop!" Nytasha screamed hysterically, gripping the straps and hauling on them as she lifted herself like she was trying to sit up. "It's tearing me open!" The Predator made no move placate her, it was the child he cared about, not her. Sweat bathed her body and she was panting and grunting in between screams as she struggled against the thing in her that was trying to get out.

"No! Just carve it out!" Nytasha abruptly flopped backwards and tightened all of her muscles and bore down on the child to force it out of her.

"Wait." The Predator hissed as the teenager twisted the straps around her hands and started panting as she waited for the correct moment. She wanted it out, right now! "Now." Nytasha yanked on the straps as she pushed as hard as she could.

"Jeddeck!" The name burst forth from her without thought, she called for the one she loved truly, wanting him to come and comfort her. Skin split apart and blood gushed forth as the hybrid's head came into sight. Agony washed over the young woman in waves as she fought nausea and tears. She only was able to hold one back. Tears spilled over and streamed down her cheeks to mingle with sweat and blood. For about five seconds, the pain eased, but just as she began to catch her breath, it crested again.

"Push!" Again she did, and it brought a pain unknown to most bursting forth through her body. The Predators were shifting around, her bored with the process and ready for the child to come. The baby's head was all the way out, and the head doctor held it while they waited for the next contraction. They didn't have to wait long. This time Nytasha didn't need to be told what to do; she knew when to push.

As soon as the hybrid was born, it was whisked off, and after Nytasha delivered the placenta, she was drugged so the doctors could try to fix the damage she had sustained. Hundreds of tiny little stitches were put in her, not only inside to fix the tears that pushing the child out had caused, but in her hands where the straps had sliced and ripped into her palms. Overall it was a huge success; a child that would save their race and a woman who would be able to breed and deliver more of them.

While the Predators planned who would contribute sperm to impregnate the human next, Nytasha was slowly becoming immune to the drugs that they had put her on. For hours at a time, she regained consciousness and control over her body. Unsure of what to do, she would remain prone, acting like she was still under the influence of the drugs. During these moments of lucidity she would quietly search her mind for what to do. One thing that she was sure of was that there was no way in hell that she would give birth to another child. The Predators had tried to get her to feed the creature she had given life to, but she had refused. They told they had named it Reza, meaning "reaper of life" in their language.

It was a month after the birth of Reza, and Nytasha was almost completely resistant to the drugs they had her on. When she was able to, she would survey the room, searching for something that would help her escape. There never was anything. One time, when she had awoken and there had been no one watching her, she had gotten up and explored the room. Behind the curtain to her left she had found the supposed savior of the Predators, her daughter, Reza. She had always assumed that the child would look like one of the terrible monsters that kept her prisoner, but she had never been more wrong. Looking in the glass box that it was kept in, she realized that Reza was as much a slave to fate as she was. The infant's head had been stitched together and Nytasha knew that the Predators had sliced the child open and done something to it.

"You almost look human," the girl had whispered to her child. She knew that there was no way she could ever hate the baby, because she had not done anything to her. It was not her fault that her father was a Predator, but Nytasha knew that she couldn't grow too attached because she was going to have to get out of there. If she let herself care for the child more than she already did, it would make it harder. As if the hybrid had heard her, Reza had opened her eyes to reveal vivid green depths that held an inhuman intelligence to them. For a moment they stayed like that, but Nytasha had to hurry back to her bed so as to not be missed by the Predators.

Now as Nytasha lay on the table, she could hear the Predators operating on her child again. It was sickening to her, how obsessed they were to create this perfect all powerful being that they would torment such an innocent so. It made her pity the child, but she had to hardened focuse on how to get out. She already knew that there was no chance of escape. The only way out was death, but she had no way to die. Glancing at the table next to her she spotted a scalpel they must have accidentally left from the last time they had examined her. Carefully, she reached out and snatched it. Shrill cries from Reza caused her to pause a moment before sliding the blade underneath her. Closing her eyes, the sixteen-year-old forced her heart to beat at a normal pace. Eventually, she slipped into a natural sleep, knowing that when she woke up she would finally be able to free herself.

'_So much pain. Why did it hurt so much? Why do they keep on hurting me?_' Opening her eyes, Nytasha woke from her sleep and looked around blearily. 'Where had that voice come from?' she wondered, slipping her hand under her to retrieve the scalpel.

'_Mommy?_' The voice from before questioned. Could it possibly be Reza? Predators weren't psychic though Nytasha thought. '_Where are you?_'

'_No!_' Nytasha thought back.

'_Yes you are, I can feel it._' The being in the incubator next to her was much more intelligent than it had any right to be. Nytasha shook any thought of Reza from her mind and slipped the plastic cover off the blade, grinning when she realized how sharp it really was. '_What are you doing? Why do you have that?_'

'_I'm going to use it to fix a mistake_.' Nytasha told her daughter as she placed the blade on the edge of her wrist. How many times had she heard about someone killing themself this way? It was easy. Then why was she hesitating? Was it Reza? No, she would not allow herself to become these things breeding machine. In one swipe she neatly cut her wrist open in a neat but deep, diagonal line. Blood gushed out, the warm salty liquid pumping out in time to her heartbeat.

'_Mommy!_' Reza screamed and began to fuss next door. Unfazed, Nytasha placed the blade beneath her ear, oblivious to the pain wracking her from the grievous wound she had inflicted upon herself.

'I'm coming Jeddeck I hope you have waited for me'

Lying in her crib, Reza froze. Though only a month old, the savior of the Predator race understood the meaning of loss. She knew the meaning being alone. Unwanted by the very person who had given her life. Closing her eyes, Reza felt her mother's spirit depart and she began to wail.

When the body was found, no tears were shed for her; no one cared that she had died. Nytasha was just another human; they were weak beings that had no right to exist on the same plane as the Predators. She was buried in an unmarked grave. No prayers were said for her.


	6. Romance of the Three Kingdoms

A/N: Alright, this chapter begins as a scientific journal by the Predators. The whole 'Giaf 67' thing is just something I threw in for their type of timing (i.e. ours is May, June, 05, 06, etc.).

Chapter 6

16 years later

Giaf 67, 3008

Hybrid log

Project Hybrid has been fairly successful; we have been trying multiple new ways to make the hybrids more advanced, such as simply growing the child in an artificial environment, making the zygote outside of the uterus and then implant it; take the child out partway through the pregnancy to mature outside the rest of the time. The other is to have a male human fertilize one of our females. The last way has yet to be done because it is seen that it would taint the woman; we are moving to have this at least tried. Many of the human women captured are not strong enough to bear the drugs or mental burden of carrying a hybrid. They miscarry easily or lose their minds. It has been documented that younger females breed better.

Out of our successful Hybrids, Reza is by far the strongest. At age 16 she is stronger than most full-grown warriors. Her fingers are decorated with the white bone of her prey's joints. Not only is she an amazing fighter, but also is immediately perfect at anything she tries her hand to. She has mastered surgery, and with her small precise fingers and light touch, she is the best. Through practice alone she has taught herself and mastered hundreds of different weapons. When she was in her mother's womb we believe she was exposed to some sort of radiation that activated more of her DNA than normal beings, giving her many extraordinary powers. She has extremely advanced psychic powers that allow her to communicate mentally and move objects with her mind.

Outwardly, she's not much. She's five foot nine inches and willowy, but possesses a Predators incredible strength. Her hair is a most interesting phenomenon; it's a perfect blend of human and Predator hair. The main part of her hair is the fine, fibrous hair of the humans, while a few thin tentacles are mixed in. The mass of it hangs halfway down her back. Her eyes are a bright green and her skin is a smooth, light tan. Her blood is the same phosphorescent green as ours, but through testing we were able to make it more acidic than the Xenomorphs and have it clot wounds faster. Her wristblades are bonded to her molecularly and, like in ever other Predator, they are retractable. When retracted, they come together and slide down in-between her two lower arm bones until they are needed again. This method of retracting allows her to conceal her wristblades from humans, allowing her to effectively move amongst them, unnoticed.

Military Compound

Colony 49

"Jason Peltew! I don't know why I married you!" A woman who looked to be in her early forties scolded her husband, who was looking at her, his mouth full of cookie dough and another lump of it ready to go in.

"Everyone is allowed one mistake mom," Joseph Peltew told his mother as he patted her on the back. "You just happened to make a really big one."

"I'll have you know that I am still a higher rank than you son," Jason informed him, narrowing an eye at him. "I am a General, you are still a colonel."

"Yeah, I know--" Joseph began to say something when his mother interrupted.

"What did I say about pulling rank in my house?" She demanded. "You can only do that if you take into account my rank…Ultimate Supreme Ruler. I win. Shut up."

"I love you Destiny," General Peltew told his wife, dragging her close so he could kiss her.

"It's not going to work Jason," Destiny informed him sternly. The sound of the phone ringing broke the playful mood and Jason picked up the receiver.

"General Peltew," he stated, waiting for the person on the other end to respond. "I see. We'll be there in about five minutes." He hung up and the relaxed father and husband was gone; the serious and stern face of a general replaced it. "Joseph, they want you as well. Let's go." Destiny watched them leave as she thought back to when her husband had been a mere lieutenant and she had been a field nurse. Life had been so much different.

After quickly pulling on their uniforms, the two similar looking men walked through the military base at a brisk pace, not speaking their minds on what lay ahead. All of the buildings around them were boxlike and made out of concrete; each one looked the same as the next. Only the military personal actually knew which ones were which without having to check a map. They passed by men and women practicing drills, guarding the gates and walls, and lounging about on break. As soon as they entered the building they had been called to the whole atmosphere changed. The air itself was thick with tension, and both men drew themselves up even straighter. Opening the door to the room where they were needed, they found a small group of military personnel.

"General, we have some bad news," a Lieutenant General informed him nervously.

"What is it?" The general sat down at the head of the table and a folder was placed in front of him.

"It's about the recent upward trend in Predator attacks," the younger man nervously told him, indicating the folder. Deducing that what he needed to know was in the flier, Peltew flipped it open and began to quickly scan the information. Whole colonies destroyed, but there had been no warning. None of the alarms had gone off. It seemed like the Predators had found a way around their technology and defense. But how? How was it possible? There were no survivors from any of the attacks and all of the surveillance tapes had been turned off. What was going on?

"Has anyone come up with any ideas on how they are doing this? Have any measures been taken to stop it?" Peltew looked around the room and no one had to tell him the answer because he could see it in their eyes.

"Sir, I think we need to come up with a way to exterminate them all at once so they can't come back," Colonel Peltew spoke up.

"How do you plan to do that?" His father looked at him, a bone deep weariness in his eyes. "We have tried before and it didn't work."

"Predators are not immortal. This we know for a fact, and some of us have killed one ourselves or seen one die. Each and every living thing has a weakness; we just have to find this weakness and exploit it. One of the few things we know is that, like aliens, these creatures are susceptible to very strong and unknown poisons. If we create a new poison, one with devastating effects, we can kill them off." The colonel seemed very sure of himself as he spoke; he made sure to make eye contact with all the men and kept up a professional appearance.

"What would you do with this poison?" one of the lieutenant generals spoke up.

"All you need to do is find the general vicinity in which one of the clans rests and gas them dead." The room remained quiet for a while pondering this solution. Was it possible that something so simple could work?

"What would the effect be on the environment?" demanded one of the others in the room. "Wouldn't it hurt the other animals and plant life?"

"Well, that's the only kink; the poison would have to be biodegradable and have little effect on the surrounding life yet still be strong enough to kill the Predators." Peltew conceded the point.

"If you can get a poison that will kill the Predators and do little harm to the surrounding life, you can go ahead with this plan." General Peltew nodded to his son, not letting the pride he was feeling show. "But you have to be able to show that it will not harm anything else."

"Yes sir." Colonel Peltew barely kept his excitement at bay.

"While Colonel Peltew works on this project, keep your mind open for any other ideas to stop the Predators." The general gave everyone in the room a look before letting them go. "Dismissed."

Elsewhere

"Damn it, Spaz!" A tall black haired girl bellowed at a shorter white haired girl who was wielding two sai.

"Kiss my ass," the shorter one responded. "It's your own fault for saying that."

"Even if it's true?" The taller one grabbed a combistick as she advanced on the other.

"You don't get points for being honest." Spaz twirled her weapons expertly as she stated this. "Plus, you need to start respecting others. Even though you're the perfect one, it doesn't mean that you can't get pounded into the dust every now and then."

"By who? You?" Green eyes flashed a warning as the darker one scoffed at her fighting partner.

"I've done it before." The light one kept her tone sweet as she reminded the other of their few shortcomings.

"By sheer accident."

"Prove it Reza."

The two girls ran at each other, weapons flailing, ricocheting of each other. Their hair twirled around them as the ducked and dipped and twirled and spun to avoid each other's attacks. They fought with inhuman ferocity, a deadly intent in their eyes. The dark girl finally gained the upper hand when the light one slipped, allowing her time to pounce, pinning the light girl's arms above her head, her weapons flung across the room. Holding her combistick to the light girl's throat, the dark girl grinned at her, her face just centimeters from the light girl. Both girls breathed heavily, recuperating after their strenuous exercises. The light girl grinned and began to get up; the dark girl shoved her back down roughly, straddling her, keeping her eyes locked on the light girl.

"You may be the 'Heaven Sent', the 'Ray of light', but I know who you are, deep down inside. I know who you are, Inara."

The Reza smiled and kisses Inara deeply, threw down her combistick, and left the room. Inara lay on the floor, panting, not from exhaustion, but from passion.


	7. Bubblegum Pink Hair

A/N: Well, it took a while, but this is the seventh chapter. I'm working on several other projects at the moment, so I will try to update as fast as possible, but I really don't know when I'll have the next chapter up. I'm also having a few problems with the plot of the story. Any suggestions as to what should happen would be great and helpful.

Salazar

Chapter 7

**A human lab**

Sighing loudly, a young woman shoved bubblegum pink hair out of her eyes as she tapped out long complicated formulas on her laptop. All around her, her "underlings" scurried about and did what she told them to. Empty Styrofoam cups littered the floor around the island counter that sat in the middle of her personal lab. The phone next to her had been ringing for five minutes straight without her hearing it, much less acknowledging the caller. The others in the room were too scared of the consequences of annoying her to come within a five-foot radius. She had been given a very complex and hard project to complete by someone near the top of the food chain, and many had lost their jobs from questioning her in the past few days.

Yanking a pen out a coffee cup, she knocked it over, but ignored that as she chomped down on the cap of the writing utensil, jerking it off and spitting it out. Expertly, she twirled it between her slim digits before putting it to paper and jotting out a note that looked to be incomprehensible. The phone rang on, her slaves kept working, and her little world kept revolving. Silence abruptly took over the room as a man in a uniform stalked across the lab to where the pink haired lady was preoccupied with her symbols and numbers. He looked painstakingly annoyed as he came to a halt in front of her desk, crunching on cups; spotting the mug, he picked it up and read the message on it. Letting out a snort of amusement, he slammed it down on the tabletop of her desk, trying to get her attention.

Growling to herself as she noticed the phone ringing, she shoved the electronic device off her table, not bothering to see whether or not it broke. Finishing off the note, she called out for someone to come and get it, but didn't lift her eyes from the table. A guy scurried over and snatched it from her before rushing back over to where he had come from. Deciding that enough was enough, the military officer reached out and closed her laptop. Ice blue eyes narrowed on the hand that still rested on her computer; slowly, they traveled up the arm to the man's shoulders, to finally land on his face.

"What the hell do you want?" she demanded, pulling the headphones out of her ears and dropping them on the tabletop. "If you're here to bitch about the project not being done, go do it to someone who cares."

"I think you should care, Amadine, because you're about to be fired from this assignment if you can't come up with anything." The man spoke through clenched teeth.

"Did you eat shit for breakfast this morning? You know that I am the only one on this planet who is smart enough to do this project with the insignificant shit you give me to work with! You want something that can be pumped into the earth, sprayed into the air and not harm the environment, BUT at the same time it has to be strong enough to wipe out the entire Predator populace." Amadine was bracing herself on the counter as she leaned closer and closer to her prey. "You, Colonel Peltew, need to stop jumping up my ass about everything and get a new goddamned hobby!" With that she collapsed back into her chair, shoved his hand off her laptop, and popped it back open.

The colonel was more than a little shocked at what had just taken place; he had been warned that she was temperamental, but had been assured she was the best. No one had mentioned she ate people for breakfast and never answered her phone. There had to be a way to deal with her, but whatever it was, it eluded Joseph, utterly and completely. Watching her talk to herself under her breath, Joseph couldn't help but wonder why anyone would dye their hair that shade pink. As he had walked in, he had heard someone talking about Amadine losing a bet with her brother but as soon as they had seen him the person had shut up.

"Little shit!" Amadine hissed, clicking something open on her laptop before rummaging around in a bag that hung on her chair. She came up with a notebook that was old and tattered. Flipping through it, she found what she was looking for and grinned. "Stew!"

"Yes?" A pimply youth popped up next to her, looking eager to please.

"I need you to go to the main lab and get me sample number 34552. You got that? Sample number 34552, and if you're not back in a half an hour, you're fired." She then began rifling through her notebook some more, muttering happily to herself. Realizing that hanging around was futile, the colonel went to leave, but was stopped by the scientist.

"Do you know what sample number 34552 is?" She questioned, popping up and off of her chair. "Well?" She walked over to him.

"No, what is it?" He growled, glowering down at the female.

"A drop of blood from a Predator, from which I can get a DNA sequence," Amadine crowed. "You do know what that means?"

"Something good, hopefully," he grumbled.

"Oh yes, it means I can then pick it apart and figure out their entire layout." The lady rubbed her hands together in excitement. "It was stored away years ago because no one had been able to puzzle it out because they were way too complicated, but now you have me and that means it'll get figured out. The sample is almost completely unknown due to the fact that it was deemed useless."

"How did you know about it then?" Peltew demanded sharply.

"It was on my challenge list, number four actually, if you must know. I just finished organizing my list yesterday while I was waiting for some test results to come in." Amadine placed her hands on her back and used pressure to crack it and relieve the tension. "But you know what would be fucking awesome?"

"No, what?" Peltew's tone was dry and the sarcasm wasn't lost on Amadine.

"Well, if you don't want accurate information that's fine with me." She graced him with a smirk before striding off in the direction of the coffee pot. Almost instantly, five or six people appeared out of no where and quickly cleaned up her work area, being careful not to disturb anything important. Peltew stormed after the ill clad woman, who was the only hope for colonies.

"What do you need?" Peltew followed her into the kitchenette, where the coffee was sitting on the heating pad. A grunt was the only warning he got before she socked him in the testis and called him a name that would have shocked his soldiers. Efficiently, Amadine poured the sludge from the pot into a styrofoam cup and stuck a spoon in it as she began to hunt for something. Much to the colonel's surprise and horror, the spoon stuck straight up in the coffee due to the thickness of the liquid. Seven scoops of sugar were dumped in the beverage, along with a liberal amount of something that Peltew was sure was some sort of alcohol.

"Amadine, you try my patience!" Peltew snarled, lifting himself from the place he had fallen. Amadine took a healthy slug of the poison she had created.

"Who made this horse piss!" She screamed; a meek squeak was heard nearby. "Well keep it up; it's better than the last pot." After downing the rest of it and dumping the cup, she turned to face the colonel.

"I want a new, fresh sample of Predator blood; if you can't get it, that's ok. I understand how incompetent you guys are; you can't even pick a planet where there are no aliens, you cum-guzzling testicle-ticklers…" Something rang in her pocket and she withdrew a cell phone to look at the number being displayed. "Persistent little bugger." She stuck it back in her pocket, not even bothering to turn off the phone. "By the way, if you really want to make my day, it would help if you brought in a live specimen, or a corpse, but live would be preferred."

"You want a live Predator?" Peltew was incredulous.

"But as I said before, I understand that you spineless pushovers can't get me everything I need, so I will be content with what you are able to bring me." Amadine scratched an itch on her nose as the phone in her pocket rang on.

"Fine, I'll get you what you need!" Peltew stormed off with the object of his irritation waving quite happily at his retreating figure.

**One month later**

"So that means…" Amadine was bent over her laptop as she scrolled through the extremely complicated DNA layout of a Predator. She had plotted it out herself and was now going through and looking for faulty parts, weak links. There didn't seem to be any, but she wasn't giving up. There was no way she'd fail at the task given to her. The sea of Styrofoam cups around her indicated that she hadn't left her desk in a long, _long_ while, and her bubblegum pink hair had grown out to reveal her pale blond roots. Blindly, she reached out and scrabbled around the top of her workspace for a writing utensil of any sort. After a few minutes of not finding anything she growled and ripped her gaze away from the computer to actually look for a pen.

"Genie!" She schreeched, and a pretty brunette popped up next to her.

"Yes?" She smiled in the face of her boss's rage. "Is there something that you need?"

"Where are my damn pens!" Amadine demanded, her ice blue eyes burning like frosted embers in her pale and withdrawn face. "Didn't I tell you to make sure I always had something to write with!"

"Yes you did," Genie reassured her as she reached past the sleep deprived woman and pulled a black pen out from under a stack of reports. "Here you go, do you need more coffee?"

"I need something to eat," Amadine admitted, taking the pen and jotting something out on a legal pad. "Umm…I think a bagel would be nice. And coffee."

"Ok. You have had multiple calls from Colonel Peltew. I think there's something urgent he needs to talk to you about." Genie was dumping cups into the waste bin as she relayed the message.

"It must not be that important." Amadine dismissed Genie's concerns easily. "If it was really important he would come over and bug the shit out of me like he usually does."

"Well, he told me that he would be stopping by later to tell you what he needed to tell you, since you weren't answering any calls from any phone or letters or memos or anything like that." Genie reached out and detangled a pencil from Amadine's lank mop of hair. "When was the last time you had a full night's sleep?"

"Who cares?" Amadine muttered, snatching the pencil up and sticking it behind her ear.

"You'll collapse if you keep this up; you're no good to the team if you're in the hospital for malnutrition and fatigue," Genie reprimanded her sternly.

"Amadine!" a male shouted, and the scientist groaned loudly and buried her face in her hands.

"What do you want?" she wailed loudly, and everyone stared at her in shock; she sounded like she was about to cry and it was a well known fact that Amadine didn't cry.

"What's your problem?" Peltew gave her a sharp look, taking in her ragged appearance and the state of her workspace.

"I'll tell you what my problem is! I haven't had a shower in God knows how long, I haven't had a real meal in longer and I haven't had a full night's sleep since the beginning of this project! Then you come waltzing in and bitch at me! I'm this close to killing you right here and now! JUST SO YOU KNOW!" Amadine howled at him. Her face went from pale to a deep puce color. "Oh God." Then it drained of color and she fell over in a dead faint.

"Amadine!" Genie bent over her and felt for her pulse and checked her breathing. "She's still alive. Someone help me carry her over to the couch in the lounge!" Growling in annoyance, Peltew picked her up and followed Genie to the lounge.

"What's wrong with her?" He demanded of the secretary as he set the limp woman on the couch. "She weighs less than a child!"

"She just got done telling you," Genie told him as she wet a towel and draped it over Amadine's forehead. The shock of the cold water on her forehead jolted Amadine out of her faint. For a minute everything swam around her before settling down and allowing her to focus.

"What happened?" She moaned and Genie rushed to inform her that she had fainted. "Well hell! What do you want Peltew?"

"I got what you wanted."

"The blood sample?"

"The live specimen."

Amadine fainted for the second time in her life.


End file.
